Gretchen Albrecht

Gretchen Albrecht CNZM is one of New Zealand's most influential painters. Over the course of her long career, her work has continued to surprise and delight and her paintings feature in many important collections both in New Zealand and overseas. This comprehensive survey of her much-admired work reveals a painter steeped in art history, drawing freely from a range of influences to create vivid, intellectually persuasive and deeply affecting work, and determined to push her work in new directions. With a text by leading art writer Luke Smythe, plus a preface by Mary Kisler, this magnificent book both interrogates Albrecht's work and celebrates her accomplishments.

'Everyone knows what they think an Albrecht is, usually, a variation on the theme of a hemisphere in two differently coloured halves, or "ovals with bars". A book such as this allows us not only to see the other paths she has pursued, but also to marvel at the creativity that has managed to find such variety of expression within the confines she has set for herself.' - Paul Little, North & South; 'The book is illustrated with 240 images, which by themselves are a visual treat, providing a sense of the evolving nature of the artist's work as it has built, developed and transformed. These illustrations also make one very aware of the artist's great sense of colour, which she uses as a means of subtly exploring the boundary between chaos and control. Smythe's text is clear and perceptive combining aspects of the artist's life, the influence on her work and the evolving emotional and intellectual approach of the artist.' - John Daly-Peoples, National Business Review; 'Smythe writes intelligently and lucidly throughout, but it is in the later chapters that he really comes into his own as an insightful and astute interpreter of Albrecht's work. ' - Priscilla Pitts, Art New Zealand; 'It's a marvellous book, lushly illustrated, and Smythe's text is lucid and informative ... This is a standout book showcasing the career of a standout artist.' - Andrew Paul Wood, EyeContact; ‘It’s a marvellous book, lushly illustrated, and Smythe’s text is lucid and informative ... This is a standout book showcasing the career of a standout artist.’ — Andrew Paul Wood, EyeContact; ‘Everyone knows what they think an Albrecht is, usually, a variation on the theme of a hemisphere in two differently coloured halves, or “ovals with bars”. A book such as this allows us not only to see the other paths she has pursued, but also to marvel at the creativity that has managed to find such variety of expression within the confines she has set for herself.’ — Paul Little, North & South ; ‘The book is illustrated with 240 images, which by themselves are a visual treat, providing a sense of the evolving nature of the artist's work as it has built, developed and transformed. These illustrations also make one very aware of the artist’s great sense of colour, which she uses as a means of subtly exploring the boundary between chaos and control. Smythe’s text is clear and perceptive combining aspects of the artist’s life, the influence on her work and the evolving emotional and intellectual approach of the artist.’ — John Daly-Peoples, National Business Review ; ‘Smythe writes intelligently and lucidly throughout, but it is in the later chapters that he really comes into his own as an insightful and astute interpreter of Albrecht’s work. ’ — Priscilla Pitts, Art New Zealand

Dr Luke Smythe is a lecturer in Art History, Art Theory and Curatorship in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. He has previously taught Art History at the University of Otago and Wesleyan University. From 2013-2014, he worked as a Curatorial Fellow in Postwar Art at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. His historical specialty is modern art from the postwar period until today, with at present a particular focus on the global evolution of modernism since the Second World War, identity art and its constraints, and the passage of analog media into the digital era. His articles and essays have appeared in many journals and catalogues, including October, Modernism/modernity, Art Journal (US), and Oxford Art Journal. He has worked on exhibitions at a number of museums and galleries, including the Chinati Foundation, Yale University Art Gallery and the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. His work has been supported by theDAAD, the Fulbright Foundation, the Yale Centre for British Art, the Bayerisches Staatsministerium fur Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, and Creative New Zealand.

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